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Criterion announces DVD and Blu-ray releases of the Steven Soderbergh film

Further Details:
Criterion has announced DVD ($49.95) and Blu-ray ($49.95) releases of Che for the 19th January. Originally released in two parts, Che is presented here in its complete form. Extras will include audio commentaries on both films, featuring Jon Lee Anderson (author of Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life), a Making “Che” documentary about the film’s production. new interviews with Cuban historians as well as participants in the 1958 Cuban Revolution and Che’s 1967 Bolivian campaign, deleted scenes, theatrical trailers, a booklet featuring an essay by critic Amy Taubin, and more. We've attached the official artwork below:

Synopsis

Quote: Far from a conventional biopic, Steven Soderbergh’s film about Che Guevara is a fascinating exploration of the revolutionary as icon. Daring in its refusal to make the socialist leader into an easy martyr or hero, Che paints a vivid, naturalistic portrait of the man himself (with a stunning, Cannes-award-winning performance by Benicio del Toro), from his overthrow of the Batista dictatorship to his 1964 United Nations trip to the end of his short life. Originally released in two parts, the first a kaleido-scopic view of the Cuban revolution and the second an all-action dramatization of Che’s failed campaign in Bolivia, Che is presented here in its complete form.

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Quote: I hope this film didn't portray this mass-murdering Marxist thug as a hero

THANK YOU!!! Finally somebody said it like it is. As a Cuban, I find all this hero worshipping really frustating. Do you have any idea how many he had encarcerated, tortured, AND executed just in the months he spent in charge of La Cabana Fortress in Havana, during 1959, the first year of Communist rule. Also, when Fidel Castro appointed him as Minister of Industries (something like the Secretary of the Treasury here in the States), he sank the best economy in the Western Hemisphere after the US and Canada in less than three years. He was a warrior, just not in the noble sense of the word. Not another Robin Hood figure either. A modern day mercenary, just that instead of doing it for money, he did it for power. When Fidel didn't want anybody else rivaling his rule, he gave him resources (weapons and men) so he could go fight somewhere else. Then he would go to other countries (examples, Congo and Bolivia) that had no connection to him, and start guerrilla movements. That sounds like terrorism to me. But, whatever.

You will buy this movie, love the guy, wear T-shirts with his face on them like he's a rock icon, and proceed to attack me and call me a liar. But that's OK. I WANT this. It's something I'm not afraid of, because men should not be afraid to tell the truth, whatever sacrifice it takes.

UPDATE: Many Cubans who left the island after the "Revolution" happened (most of them people who lived the Communist terror) moved to Puerto Rico, and that sense of brotherhood that has been going on for centuries between Puerto Ricans and Cubans, helped in making most residents in that nation know and sympathize with the struggle and suffering going on in Cuba for 50 years. With that said, it DOES piss me off that a Puerto Rican like Benicio Del Toro, knowing there are hundreds of thousands of Cubans living in his homeland due to the Castro dictatorship, goes and participates in this piece of socialist propaganda. I used to respect him as an actor, but I really can't like the guy anymore.

Same goes for Soderbergh. He hasn't had a good film since Ocean's Eleven. And that was just mainstream entertainment; not really a lot of artistic achievement there. That'd probably go to "Traffic", his last great picture.

lee09 wrote: ??? Were they not shown with the correct aspect ratio at the theater to begin with? If the director shot part one in a 2.35:1 letterbox format and then part two in 1.78:1 matted format what makes Criterion release it in a "correct ratio" if the director had already chosen and filmed it with that specific ratio? Yes they were shown in cinemas this way. theshape13 meant, Criterion are releasing it in the correct ratio "again".

Criterion:

2 Disc Set I imagine the Criterion will be Region A Spanish DTS-HD MA 5.1 English subtitles

EthanRunt wrote: Commentaries as well? Guess it's better I didn't buy the UK blu ray, might import this far superior package. Thanks for the confirmation Ethan. I thought this sounded a superior package to what we got over here but I wasn't sure. Never got a chance to see this so I am definitely looking forward to owning both films. As there are two commentaries it seems its still split up, though the cover is slightly misleading on that point.

I wanted to see this. Great cover art. Just 3 hrs seemed to me, too dang long for a biopic. May pick this up. Criterion owns all. They really need to release more Samurai/Ninja films from the 1960's though... not saying they haven't released a lot of this genre, because they have. I simply want more!

theshape13 wrote: Anyways Criterion is releasing both films in the correct ratio.

??? Were they not shown with the correct aspect ratio at the theater to begin with? If the director shot part one in a 2.35:1 letterbox format and then part two in 1.78:1 matted format what makes Criterion release it in a "correct ratio" if the director had already chosen and filmed it with that specific ratio?

sweet! Hope it comes to Canada, so far we have the lackluster IFC dvd versions which are the two separate films. Criterion always does a great job on their films and I've been dying to see this in it's proper form, day one by for me.

blackbird wrote: Criterion.com: NOTE: Che: Part One appears in 2.35:1 aspect ratio. Che: Part Two appears in 1.78:1 aspect ratio.

was there a reason for this? not complaining, just curious.

It was the way the director shot the film, using two different aspect ratios for each part. There is an aesthetic and thematic reason why, but I can't recall what it was, anyways Criterion is releasing both films in the correct ratio.